Freezing rain turned to ice early Tuesday, then turned accumulated snow from prior storms into slush to make for a sloppy morning commute that is not going to be much better later in the evening.
The Long Island Rail Road was worried that ice would cause service suspensions when it decided to operate on a weekend schedule, but went back to a normal weekday schedule as of 11 a.m.
Those who took to the icy roads did not fare much better. Nassau County police responded to 30 vehicle crashes between midnight and 9 a.m., none of them involving serious injuries. A Suffolk County police spokeswoman said she did not know how many crashes officers responded to.
The state Department of Transportation had extra workers out overnight pounding roads with salt.
More than 500 Long Island schools or organizations have closed or issued delayed openings.
The ice storm also posed a threat to power lines and tree limbs. Long Island Power Authority crews are working to fix more than 6,000 outages. Con Edison reported about 290 customers without power Wednesday morning, most of them in Queens.
Service on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between New York and Philadelphia was suspended for a time. NYC Transit reports suspended service between Pelham and 138th Street due to a stalled No. 6 subway.
Flight disruptions are reported at JFK and LaGuardia airports. Travelers are advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport.
National Weather Service forecasters issued a flood advisory for the region and cautioned that standing water will turn to ice once temperatures drop after sundown.
With Associated Press